


Let Me Help You

by tellyouwhatilike



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Feelings will be hurt, M/M, Michael is a good friend, Strangers to Lovers, angsty, ashton comes out of nowhere in this ngl, calum has a kid, calum is a music teacher / studio exec, calum with a kid is cute, idk im emo so this will be emo, kinda sad, luke is a grad student, michael is a cartoon artist, sad boy calum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28643034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellyouwhatilike/pseuds/tellyouwhatilike
Summary: calum is a single dad who likes to do this whole thing alone...that might be until he meets ashton irwin
Relationships: Calum Hood/Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood/Original Female Character(s), Michael Clifford/Luke Hemmings
Kudos: 9





	Let Me Help You

**Author's Note:**

> DAMN THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS BUT ITS THE FIRST THING THAT I'VE WRITTEN IN AWHILE THAT FLOWED NATURALLY AND SEEMED TO BE WORTH SOMETHING IDK 
> 
> let me know your thoughts, i'm gonna continue for sure so like bookmark this jawn ?? cool

stella won't stop crying. 

it's four in the morning and calum is rocking her back and forth. it's hardly working and then she finally slows down her sobbing when he starts to hum a lullaby. he realizes that it might be helping so he sings some of the words he knows from an old TV show. ten minutes later and the room is silent, calum puts her back in the crib and tip-toes down the hall. 

he makes a cup of coffee and turns on the news. there's no point in going back to sleep when she usually wakes up around 6, anyways. plus, calum doesn't sleep too much anymore, his body can handle it and with caffeine, pretty much anything is possible. 

it's a friday, stella is off to day-care so calum can try and do adult things for a few hours. he has to run a demo over to the studio and possibly get lunch with michael. he's also managed to book himself for a guitar lesson and he's already had to reschedule it three times so he can't really miss it. he's busy but that's a good thing, he's hardly had a moment to himself and in calum's world, that allows for less distraction and more focus. no one tries to fight him on that because they know better than to think calum will ever take any advice but his own. 

"love you, bug. have a good day," calum gives stella a final kiss before handing her over. he physically _does_ hand her over a play-fence because she's come close to standing on her own but isn't quite there yet. he knows she should be and calum should try to teach her at home and not let her be so attatched to his hip. but, honestly, calum likes having her close and he's scared that once she does learn to walk, she'll never need him for anything again. of course, calum never tells anyone this so no one can talk him off a ledge and attempt to knock some sense into his very backwards and often stupid thought process. 

there's no one at the studio so he doesn't have to stay long. he calls michael and begs him to pick a place because he's awful at making decisions. "you're so not," michael tells him and _okay, fair_. calum does usually make every decision for the two of them, he's always sending over the place or ordering the wine so michael has every right to call out his dishonesty. but, still, calum is not in the mood to search food websites and figure out where has the best deal or the best burger. he'd really rather michael pick so, he does. 

"you're annoying," michael says as soon as calum slides into the booth. calum just shrugs, taking a sip of his beer that's already there when he sits down.

"i think one beer will get me drunk," he admits. "i don't know the last time i drank." the two catch-up and michael asks when he can come over and see stella. he stalls as per usual and looks ahead to her birthday. 

"is that not in like 6 months?"

"okay, fine. maybe next week or something? i dont know, im super busy," calum says and he almost lets his voice break but doesn't. it ends up not mattering because michael asks him if he's okay ten minutes later and calum breaks down. 

"i dont know why im crying," he says. michael just laughs at him and hands over a napkin, "dude, you're a single dad in new york city who refuses to ask for help," michael says. "that's why you're crying." 

he calms down a few minutes later and calum checks his phone.

"oh shit, i-i have to go. i have a lesson with someone at 3," he says. calum puts on his jacket and hands michael a $20 bill. "will you let me help you? i can bring over pizza for dinner tonight, i can grab some other stuff you need, if you'd like? and don't say no, i'm only asking to be polite, i'll come regardless." 

calum, at a loss for an excuse, gives in and begs michael to only bring the pizza, "i don't want your charity!" 

__  
  


"that was really good, man. just keep practicing what i showed you and i think you'll almost be ready for the whole thing!" calum smiles as he packs up his amp. his lesson today was with john, whose a 10-year-old kid that lives in brooklyn. he usually only does paid lessons but calum knows his mom from the local YMCA. when she got pregnant, she came to calum first and he assured her that it would all work out and it has, _sort of_. johns father left a month after he was born and his mom works as a nurse at a hospital downtown. they have a two bedroom apartment and his mom rarely let's on that they might be struggling. calum is happy to help out when he can and john is actually not too bad at the guitar. 

"tell your mom i said hi, okay? i'll call about next week." 

__

calum waits outside the day care in a crowd of other parents. he's usually the only guy but today there's someone else that he doesn't recognize. kids come in go, though, so he's not too surprised. new york city is overflowing with busy parents that relocate their children to what they think is the best-fit. calum doesn't really have that luxury and he's not sure he'd want it, he's happy with where stella is and it's only three blocks down the street from his apartment. 

he spots stella on the hip of one of the aides and quickly walks up to the door. "hi calum," she smiles and stella lets out a muffled cry as she's handed over. "hi, good day?" he asks as he kisses her cheek and rocks her back and forth on his hip. he can hear stella attempt a giggle and it's almost cute enough to make him forgot all about his other stresses.

"yes, she's always a pleasure."

calum is happy to hear that because maybe he hasn't managed to fuck-up everything in his life. he knows that he's often spaced out or pre-occupied in all the wrong things but calum really does try and be the best for stella. of course, the short feeling of success is just that, _short_ , and calum is asked if shes' tried walking yet. 

"not yet, it's on our list, though," he says and she nods. she gives stella a smile and waves goodbye before she turns on her heel.

"let's get home, daddy's tired," he coos and she agrees as she grabs onto his cheek. 

__

stella watches seasame street on the TV while calum cleans the kitchen. it's a mess, mostly because he hasn't picked up plates from over a week ago but also because he struggles to get one good meal in per day. it's all garbage and empty containers and it just piles up. the only organized thing is his fridge and that's because he has to make sure stella eats enough veggies and has enough protein. in all honesty, calum's mom is the one that writes out what he should feed her, it's beyond his knowledge to try and figure out what a 18 month year old prefers for dinner. she does love pp&j though which is kind of comforting because so does calum so it's a quick dinner for two. 

stella throws a fit a bit after 5 o'clock and calum tries everything. he rocks her back and forth, grabs a binky, even searches high and low for her favorite blanket. "what's wrong, stel?" he whispers and she doesn't stop. calum is one second a way from mirroring her behavior but the front door rings before he can get a good sob in. "shit," he curses under his breath and apologizes as soon as the word leaves his mouth. "never say that, okay?" he tells stella, whose clearly not listening to a word he says, nor is she ever but still, he needs to calm his conscience. 

"hey," michael says as calum opens the door. he has a box of pizza in his hand and a few other bags of things calum remembers he didn't ask for.

"what's that?" calum asks and stella continues to cry. michael leans over to kiss her on the cheek and he snakes her out of his hands.

"hey!" calum shouts, "you can't just baby steal like that, totally not cool." 

stella shuts up, though, once michael takes control and it burns calum up. he doesn't say anything because the peace and quiet is so worth it. plus, she probably doesn't even know who michael is but he won't say that. 

"what did i say about us not being charity? toilet paper? toothpaste? i'm not completely incompetent michael, i have those things," calum says. he might be lying, he's been short of toilet paper for like a week and is almost out of tissues so he sort of does appreciate the gesture. but, michael has to know that he can't do this all the time. it's cheating and unethical and calum can't build a debt up with michael because he knows he can't pay it off. 

"will you relax? one, i doubt you have toilet paper, i used to live with you and two, i dont think your incompetent but i know that youre busy and im on an off season right now, im happy to help out and i know youll never ask," michael says. stella is playing with his hair and being so over-the-top cute that calum decides to just let it go and pour two glasses of wine.

"red or white? actually, i like red so i dont care." 

stella falls asleep after calum feeds her a few pieces of pizza. he brings her crib out to the living room so he can peacefully sit with michael without having to get up every five minutes. "this is nice," he admits and michael smiles like a nerd.

"what?" calum asks. 

"you see what happens when you let other people in?" 

did calum say this was nice? that must've been before michael tried to do the lecture thing. and it's not that calum doesn't agree or appreciate the effort. he's just not sure michael knows what all of this is like and _fine_ , how could he know if he never tells him? but, still. calum doesn't have the energy to explain to michael what it's like raising an infant on your own. stella's entire capability as a human being relies on calum remembering to teach her things, give her what she needs, and be there when she needs him. it's a complicated, mentally tolling kind of thing and michael might be sort of out of his element.

but, calum also knows that michael's not even talking about that. it doesn't take a parenting 101 class to be a friend and that's all michael is trying to be. calum can admit that since stella was born, he's been distant. he's way more stubborn now and just generally an awful friend. he doesn't remember the last time he asked michael about work, or heard about his on and off boyfriend whose studying art at NYU. there's a lot calum has to work on and he knows michael is just trying to help him move along with that process. 

they drink a whole bottle of wine and catch up. it feels good and normal and stella only interrupts three times. 


End file.
